Following Wednesday's 1-0 loss at fellow strugglers Valencia, Zaragoza find themselves just one point and two places above the drop zone with two games remaining in which to avoid an embarrassing fall from grace.

The first of those two fixtures pits Zaragoza against Madrid at La Romareda, where Bernd Schuster's side will be looking to continue their remarkable end-of-season form which has seen them take 19 points from a possible 21 since losing to Valencia.

It is a tall order for Zaragoza, but Villanova is in bullish mood ahead of the game, saying: "We are capable of beating Madrid and with that take a huge step towards safety."

Should Zaragoza mge to pick up the three points, then Villanova feels they would then only need a draw from their final match against seventh-placed Real Mallorca to be sure of avoiding relegation.

"I think that with 45 points we will not go down to the Second Division," he added.

Following Wednesday night's results, the battle for Primera Liga safety is now realistically down to four teams - Osasuna, Recreativo Huelva, Zaragoza and Real Valladolid, with three points separating them.

Third-bottom Osasuna, who have lost their last four matches, face a vital home game against already-relegated Real Murcia on Sunday, while Valladolid host Getafe and Recre make the trip to Andalusian rivals Almeria.

Valencia are still not mathematically safe but having moved five points clear of trouble with their win over Zaragoza. Los Che could erase all fears when they face local rivals Levante, who were the first team relegated.

At the head of the table, the top two places have been secured by Madrid and Villarreal - who host Espanyol - so it is the race for the fourth Champions League spot that has now taken on most interest.

Sevilla's impressive 3-0 win at Racing Santander on Wednesday saw Manolo Jimenez's side replace the Cantabrians in fifth spot, and they are pushing Atletico Madrid hard for fourth place.

Sevilla's hopes will get a severe test on Sunday though as they make the short trip to bitter city rivals Real Betis, who now having virtually secured their top-flight status would like nothing more than to upset their more illustrious neighbours.

That game will be played back at Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera home with Paco Chaparro's side having been forced to host Real Valladolid on Wednesday at Seville's unused Olympic Stadium due to a one-game stadium ban.

Sevilla boss Jimenez admits they can expect no favours from their rivals on Sunday, saying: "They are not going to give us anything. The history is there and there's never any help. We are going to go there and give everything."

This weekend's other matches see Barcelona looking to bounce back from their 4-1 midweek mauling at Madrid when they host Real Mallorca, Racing travelling to Athletic Bilbao and Atletico welcoming Deportivo La Coruna to the Vicente Calderon.